No Ordinary Girls
by aFlOwErBlOoMiNgInAdVeRsItY
Summary: While Rachel is excited that C.L.A offers her the chance to go to Australia, after the titan war she has been jumpy and on edge. She also has to keep her prophecies and clear sight a secret from her 'normal' host family, the Gilberts. Last year, Emma would have been looking forward to having an American exchange student but now it just means another person to hide her secret from.
1. Chapter 1

p class="MsoPlainText"RACHEL/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"I fizzed with excitement as the seat-belt sign flashed and the plane began its descent. I'd thought the novelty of travel had worn off long ago, but this time was different; I was going on student exchange on the Gold Coast, Australia!/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"My parents had noticed that something was off after the Titan War – yeah, you heard right, they actually noticed me for once – and decided to send me on the Australian Exchange at Clarion Ladies, hoping it would take my mind off whatever it was that was upsetting me without them actually having to connect with me in any way, which was completely fine by me./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Unfortunately, I wasn't about to forget the horrors of the war. Almost everything I saw reminded me of the battle of Manhattan. Simply looking at the snoring granny beside me reminded me of how Morpheus enchanted all of the mortals of New York City into unconsciousness, and seeing the twin little girls sitting with their father in the row in front reminded me of Beckendorf and Silena and how they would never have children of their own./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"I felt my eyes water as I thought of all those who had died, but I took a deep breath and swept away my tears. While I knew that I couldn't make myself forget all the terrible memories, I could at least try to enjoy my exchange, right?/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Before I knew it, the plane had touched down on the runway and stopped outside gate 23 of the Gold Coast airport, jolting me out of my thoughts. I stood and grabbed my carry-on luggage from the overhead locker, and stepped out into the aisle, following Miss Thompson, the tiny Clarion teacher who was overseeing the trip, out of the plane./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"We grabbed our luggage and went over and stood over near the closest seating area. About a groups of people, who must have been host families, made their way over. We all proceeded to stand around awkwardly together and wait for the stragglers./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Miss Thompson gave a mildly cheesy speech about how grateful we all were, and then pretty soon us Clarion girls were being ushered in the direction of each of our host families./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Emma Gilbert was a year older than me, nearly dressed and grinning at me as she shook my proffered hand. I told myself firmly that no, I was most definitely not jealous of her straight, cooperative hair./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"I was introduced to her mother and little brother (he must have been eleven or so) who has wandered off to go and admire the planes from the window./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"I'm not sure quite what came over me, but one moment I was calmly staring out of the window with them all, but the next, I started to freak out as I saw a helicopter take off, panicking as I remembered what nearly happened the last time I was in one. If it wasn't for Annabeth.../p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Rachel!" Emma exclaimed. "Are you okay?"/p  
p class="MsoPlainText""I-uh … Jet-lag!" I mentally face-palmed – since when does jet-lag cause panic attacks? - Oh, how much easier my life would be if I was a child of Athena./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Right… Well, we better get home then," Emma said./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Sounds like a great idea," I agreed. I highly doubted that she actually believed my excuse, but I was relieved and grateful that she chose to let the matter drop./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Come on Mum, Elliot, let's go home. Rachel's exhausted," Emma told her mum and brother. Pretty soon we were heading away from the airport and to the Gilberts' house./p 


	2. Chapter 2

p class="MsoPlainText"Ch 2 EMMA/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Mum, Elliot and I were standing in the airport, waiting for our American exchange student to arrive. All I had been told about her was that her name was Rachel Elizabeth Dare, she was sixteen – just a little younger than me, and that she went to C.L.A, one of our international sister schools./p  
p class="MsoPlainText"I was excited to meet her, of course I was, but she was also just another person that I had to keep my secret from. This would prove to be very difficult, I was sure, as we would be expected to remain glued at the hip for the whole of her month-long stay in Australia. I guess I'll just have to be extra careful./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Oh, is that them?" Elliot asked, interrupting my thoughts. He was pointing to a group of about twenty teenage girls walking over from the baggage carousel. They were all wearing white-and-emerald polo shirts that read Clarion Ladies Academy./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Must be," I replied, shaken from my worries for the time being. "Let's go meet Rachel Dare."/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Along with the other host families, we made our way over to the Clarion group./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Hello everyone, I am Miss Thompson," called a bird-like lady who must have been one of their teachers. "I'm the acting Deputy Principal of Clarion Ladies' Academy. I would like to personally thank you all for your generous decision to commit to hosting a student. Our girls have been looking forward to this tour for months, and without your generosity in opening your homes and hearts to them, this exchange would not have been possible."/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Then, consulting a list, she began the task of introducing each C.L.A student to their host family./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Rachel turned out to be a fairly tall red-head with bright green eyes and freckles. Her Clarion polo had indecipherable marker drawings littering the hem, and her grey suitcase was splattered with paint./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Hi, I'm Rachel," she said unnecessarily, sticking out her hand to shake. She had only a faint American accent. Her nails were all painted a different chipped shade of pink or purple./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Emma," I said, shaking her hand and smiling, "pleased to meet you, Rachel."/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Already, she seemed like a genuinely nice and friendly person, and though I could tell right away that we were two very different girls, I also had a sneaking suspicion that we would get along very well./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""And you must be Mrs Gilbert?" Rachel asked, turning to Mum./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Yes, dear. That's me," she replied. "And this is Emma's younger brother, Elliot," she said, before noticing the empty space he'd been standing in before. "Oh, he's gone. Elliot?"/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Here!" Elliot called. He was standing over by the window, watching the planes taxiing down the runway./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""You should have told me where you were going," Mrs Gilbert sighed as she rushed over to him, Emma and I trailing behind./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"I turned to Rachel again, only to see her face start breathing rapidly and her face turn pale as she reached for the armrest of one of the chairs behind her, steadying herself./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Rachel! Are you okay?"/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""I-uh … Jet-lag!" she winced./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Maybe she was just tired? It didn't explain her panic, but I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt for now. I of all people knew that some things you just had to keep secret. But why would Rachel be anything other than just a normal girl? She wasn't a mermaid, that I was sure of. I could feel a weird buzzing in my ears when I was around another fish-girl, what I liked to think of as our powers noticing each other, and I didn't have that now. "Right … Well, we better get home then."/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Sounds like a great idea," she agreed, seeming relieved./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Come on Mum, Elliot, let's go home. Rachel's exhausted," I told Mum and my brother, and pretty soon we were back in the car, heading home./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p 


	3. Chapter 3

p class="MsoPlainText"I made up my mind that I loved Emma's house as soon as I stepped through the door. The décor was tasteful and stylish, sure, but what I loved about the place was how homely it still felt. There were family photos covering the walls, and some framed children's artwork labelled with things like Emma, aged seven-and-a-half./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"It was the perfect mix of style and sentiment. Growing up in my stupid belongs-in-a-magazine mansion, I'd always assumed it had to be one or the other. Why couldn't my house have been more like this one?/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Granted, I was living at school now, and camp the rest of the time, avoiding my parents and the Dare mansion like the plague, but still.../p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Even without the Oracle of Delphi stuff, or even my clear sight, I was far from a normal kid. I did not mean this in a good way./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Emma helped me lug my paint-splattered suitcase up the stairs to the guest bedroom where I would be sleeping. We started to unpack my stuff, but her mobile rung./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Shoot, back in a minute," she said, and ran off to take the call./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"A short while later, she returned bearing gifts; a bowl of fruit salad with vanilla yoghurt for each of us./p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Thank the gods, I'm starving," I said as she handed me mine. Then my brain caught up to my mouth and I realised what I had just said. Thank the gods. Gods, plural. Oops. My mind raced, trying to find a plausible excuse for my slip-up./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Pardon?" Emma said. "Didn't quite catch that."/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Huh? Oh, I just said this looks good, and I'm starving. Aeroplane food, am I right?" I laughed nervously. That was way too close./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"It's usually easy to avoid mishaps like that, because at Clarion the girls are spoilt brats who don't care what I have to say, and everyone else I know knows about the Greeks. But here on exchange? Well, let's just say I'll need to be a whole lot more careful. That and pray to Apollo that the Oracle won't issue another prophecy in the next month or so./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Sigh. Sometimes I really wish I was a normal teenage girl, like Emma here./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"We were done eating and unpacking, so she grabbed both empty bowls to carry back to the kitchen. "Well, I'll leave you to get some rest. If you need me for anything, I'm just across the hall," she said, oblivious to my thoughts. "Night, Rachel. Well, afternoon, but yeah."/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Night, Emma," I replied. She then made her exit, flicking off the light and pulling the door shut as she left./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"I may wish I was a normal teen, with normal problems and normal parents and a normal worldview, but that's not to say that I shouldn't stop dwelling on it and appreciate this exchange trip. It's going to be super fun... Assuming I can just get over the war./p 


	4. Chapter 4

p class="MsoPlainText"EMMA/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Cleopatra: Come for a swim? Major news./p  
p class="MsoPlainText"IceQueen: Sorry, can't. Homestay student, remember?/p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Cleopatra: Please? Do you want me to combust?/p  
p class="MsoPlainText"IceQueen: Ask Bella or Rikki./p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Cleopatra: Bella went to Brisbane — her cousin's had a baby. Rikki's working :(/p  
p class="MsoPlainText"IceQueen: Well, Rachel'll be sleeping off the jet lag for a few hours, so I suppose?/p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Cleopatra: Thanks! Sorry! Moon Pool in twenty :)/p  
p class="MsoPlainText"IceQueen: All good. See you soon :)/p  
p class="MsoPlainText"…/p  
p class="MsoPlainText"IceQueen: Boy or girl? What's their name? I need pics!/p  
p class="MsoPlainText"JellyBelly: It's a girl. Clementine Beckendorf — Clem for short. Pics attached./p  
p class="MsoPlainText"IceQueen: She's so cute! How does she already have hair?!/p  
p class="MsoPlainText"JellyBelly: IKR?! Gotta go. Talk later xx/p  
p class="MsoPlainText"IceQueen: Sure; me too. Bye! xx/p  
p class="MsoPlainText"…/p  
p class="MsoPlainText"IceQueen: Bella's cousin had her baby! Pics attached./p  
p class="MsoPlainText"HotStuff: I'm working./p  
p class="MsoPlainText"IceQueen: Never too busy for babies!/p  
p class="MsoPlainText"HotStuff: Always to busy for babies./p  
p class="MsoPlainText"HotStuff: ...That is actually so cute. What's its name?/p  
p class="MsoPlainText"IceQueen: Her name is Clem./p  
p class="MsoPlainText"HotStuff: Like the Clem 7?/p  
p class="MsoPlainText"IceQueen: No, like short for Clementine./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"…/p  
p class="MsoPlainText"I rolled my eyes, slipping on some thongs, stashing my phone in the draw in my bedside table, and racing downstairs./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Mom — emergency at Cleo's. Think I can duck over while Rachel's asleep?"/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Mum paused in her vegetable chopping. "Is it actually an emergency?"/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""She didn't really explain. She said it was something major." Please say yes, please say yes. "I'll be back as soon as I can," I add./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""I suppose that'd be alright. I expect you back in an hour, though."/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Thanks Mum!" I called, dashing out the door. "Love you!"/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"I sighed. Ditching my homestay student to go hang out with Cleo? (I was almost certain it wouldn't be a real emergency. This is Cleo we're talking about.) Almost worst is how little I was sorry for it. I mean, yeah, I felt a little guilty, but definitely not as much as I should've. I brushed the thought aside. Rachel would be fast asleep by now and surely wouldn't even notice my absence, so what did it matter?/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"I ran along the coastal pathway to Lewis's fishing spot, kicking off my shoes and stowing them behind a rock a safe way back from the tide line. I double-checked that no one was around before wading into the ocean and speeding away, torpedo-like, to my Moon Pool, my Mako Island./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"Cleo was already there, sitting on the shelf of rock that lay just underneath the water, rail swishing absently as she admired a swirly silver ring on one of her fingers./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"She startled when I popped up beside her./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Emma!"/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Hi, Cleo! What was the major emergency? Be warned, it better be major."/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""This," she said, presenting her hand to me. She was smiling right to her eyes, cheeks flushed./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"I was puzzled. "New jewellery?"/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Lewis got it for me," she excitedly explained. "It's a promise ring."/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""So the pair of you are like, what, engaged to be engaged now?"/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""I guess, yeah," she grinned and dipped her head, suddenly shy./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Cleo that's amazing!" I squealed./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""I know!" she squealed back, shaking my shoulders and bouncing up and down. "I can't believe it!"/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""It's... wow! But, uh, well... what does your dad think of this? I mean, you know how he gets about you two."/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Oh," she was back to being shy. "I haven't told him yet. He'd freak."/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Cleo!"/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""I know, I know; better he finds out from me and all that, but I just... some things you need to keep secret, you understand that," she appealed./p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText"I pursed my lips. "I think comparing this to having a tail might be a little bit of a stretch, Cleo."/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""See what I mean about major emergency, though?" she wailed. "I can't tell him, but I can't not tell him!"/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""You could get Lewis to tell him?"/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Emma!"/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Okay, okay, sorry. I don't know, Cleo. This is really up to you. The best I can do advice-wise is suggest you get him in a really good mood and tell him before he finds out some other way."/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Yeah."/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""I'm sorry I couldn't be more help, but- hey, what time is it now?" (Note to self: get a waterproof watch like Cleo's.)/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Sixteen to five," she told me. "Why?"/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Shoot, I've gotta go. Sorry Cleo! Call you later!"/p  
p class="MsoPlainText" /p  
p class="MsoPlainText""Bye Em!" Cleo sung back, and then I was gone./p 


End file.
